Revolution Wheelworks Rev-20

Over the last six years I’ve become a convert/proselytizer first for tubeless, and then tubeless on wide rims. The ride is smooth, cornering is excellent, and I haven’t flatted once in those six years. Every time I see someone changing a flat by the roadside it’s all I can do to hold my tongue. The only drawback was the lack of an affordable wheelset for this setup.

A-a-a-and this is where Revolution Wheelworks’ Rev-20s comes in. Built with Velocity’s A23 rim and Sapim CX-Rays, the Rev-20s come in at 1438g (1430 claimed) and $690, which makes it lighter and cheaper than most of the big name offerings. At 160 pounds I’m right at the recommended weight limit for the 20/24 spoke build. I chose them instead of the 24/28 to see if I could wreck them.

RWW make no secret of the fact that they source existing parts for their wheels. What they offer are well spec’d wheels, sane pricing, and most of all, excellent build quality. My test wheels were indeed perfectly true and evenly tensioned. I taped them up with Stan’s tape and brought them to Mark Purdy at iFixByx to mount the tires.

Mark and I have noticed that tubeless setups can really cause spoke tension to plummet, so we took measurements before and after airing up the tires. The rear non drive side went from 100Kgf down to 70, and the front went from 83 to 55. I brought the tension back up with the tires mounted and the wheels have stayed true since. If you’re planning on going tubeless RWW will build the wheel with extra tension to save you this step (but I’d still check them after inflating). They’ll also sell you a $15 tubeless kit which includes the rim strip and valves.

So...they’re reasonably priced and well built. Tires transition smoothly into the 23mm rims for a smooth ride that rails corners. They’ve proven durable even though I’m right at the edge of their weight limit – they’re good as new after 1,600 filthy winter miles but for a little roughness on the rear bearings. All I have to add is that these are the lowest profile rims I’ve ridden in a while, and I’d forgotten what it’s like to be invisible to crosswinds. It’s very nice to descend at speed and not be freaked out by a gust of wind or a passing semi.

Andy, do the new A23 rims that Revolution sources have the "shelf" for the tire beads that are usually associated with (what I would call) "true" tubeless rims (i.e., with the enhanced blow-out prevention that tubeless-specific bead+shelf rims provide)?

Do NOT try that. Tubeless beads don't stretch so the tires won't blow off. The point isn't to save weight, it's to avoid pinch flats and punctures, run lower psi's ('cause you can't pinch flat), and to not lose energy in the friction between tire and tube.

Has anybody had success in going tubeless with regular road (700x23) tires? I've noticed that dedicated tubeless tires seem to weigh about 50% more than the Conti GP 4000S's I use now - not sure why this is the case. So when factoring in tube vs. no tube, there doesn't seem to be any advantage at all in rotational weight.

Talk to a MT Biker and there is no other way to go. It changed everything. Some CXers like tubeless as well with reservations about the dreaded burp at low pressure. Are burps nonexistent with higher road tire pressure?

I have never gotten a satisfactory explanation of that but it's definitely real. I've read that tension drops for tubed setups but not nearly as much. Maybe beads on tubeless tires are tighter? Sometimes it's enough to make NDS rear spokes to go slack.

You can probably convert any carbon clincher to tubeless. I did it with 808's, the only oddity is that the carbon weave of the rim bed didn't seal with the tape, so I had to use wider tape so that it went up the sides of the rim and made a direct seal with the tire bead.

the founding fathers fully envisioned bullet proof wheels when they wrote the second commandment, and thus provided for a well-regulated militia's right to bear arms in order to shoot your bike. true story.